Venus, currently moving east through the sky, has now passed from Cancer into Leo and rises within the domain of the Lion around 4 A.M. local daylight time, more than two hours before the Sun. Around 5:30 A.M. local daylight time, Venus has reached 15° high in the east and has been followed into the sky by magnitude 1.4 Regulus, which stands about ⅓ as high above the horizon to Venus’ lower left. Regulus is Leo’s bright alpha star, often envisioned as the heart of the Lion. And like a heart contains four chambers, Regulus is a four-star system. Bright Regulus A is a binary that cannot be visually split. The easiest companion to spot lies some 175” (nearly 3’) away to the northwest and glows softly at 8th magnitude. This star is itself a double, with components separated by just 2.5” (and the fainter of which is magnitude 13.5).
Regulus and Venus are more than 11° apart this morning, but that will quickly change. In just over a week, Venus and the Moon will stand in line with Regulus, both within 1° of the star. We’ll definitely check back then!
Sunrise: 6:36 A.M.
Sunset: 7:17 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:42 P.M.
Moonset: 10:01 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (88%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
